My gear is in the stock location. Just make sure the gear is on facing the right way with the swept angle forward and get the tail as low to the ground as possible using a 3/4" tailwheel or bend your gear up a little closer to the rudder. Also be sure to use main wheels at least 3". I can taxi around a grass field all day long with out any tendency to nose over. On my first Hog Bipe I did move the gear forward just a bit, but I found out that all it really needed was the tail lowered and at least 3" mains which in turn shifts the weight towards the rear some and improves ground handling.

As far as measuring 10 degrees...well thats just kinda of a number I thru out there. Actually if you have a real small level...just hold it off the nose section and the bubble should not be dead center and should be touching or just crossing the line in the vile while resting on a CG machine or similar. Thats around 10 degrees.

Make sure you have someone help you check lateral balance and also stand directly over top your Hog and make sure your top and bottom wing are in line with each other. I would also check your top wing and make sure you have 0 incidence or even -1 or -2. Positive incidence on the top wing will make the Plane want to balloon. If you dont have an incidence meter I would probably be inclined to add just one thin washer on the rear nylon bolt on the top wing, but you will have to put it on the underside to slightly tip the wing up in the rear just slightly. This would probably insure that you don't have positive incidence in the top wing. As I said....-1 or -2 won't hurt anything.

If you are a really good pilot...then just make sure the cg is close and go fly the thing, and make ajustments afterwards. If you are real nervous...then it will help to check some of the things I have mentioned to help your maiden go just as smooth as possible. Its a sweet flying Plane, but just keep in mind that it has drag like all planes with two wings , and you don't want to just chop throttle on it comming into land because it will slow pretty quick. Ease down the throttle and make nice long smooth approaches until you get used to it, and then you can give her heck once you get her all trimmed nice and learn its behavior!LOL You will enjoy it!!!